...whose instructions they can conscientiously and conveniently attend. Provided, notwithstanding, that the several towns, parishes, precincts, and other bodies politic, or religious societies, shall, at all times, have the exclusive right of electing their public teachers, and of contracting...

...of which Adams had played a leading role) specified that the legislature had the power to authorize "the support and maintenance of public Protestant teachers of piety, religion, and morality." That constitution further decreed that all men had the duty "publicly, and at stated seasons, to worship...

...American opinion was the Massachusetts Constitution of 1780. The people of each town were required "to make suitable provision, at their own expense,...Protestant teachers of piety, religion and morality." Pennsylvania's 1776 constitution was closer to the mainstream. It forbad a religious establishment,...

...a right to invest their legislature with power to authorize and require, and the legislature shalI, from time to time, authorize and require, the several towns, parishes, precincts, and other bodies-politic, or religious societies, to make suitable provision, at their own expense, for the mstitution...

...i833,171 that Massachusetts did away with her constitutional provisions regarding suitable provision ... for the institution of the public worship of God,...public Protestant teachers of piety, religion, and morality172 and limiting equality "under the protection of the law" to "every denomination of Christians."173...

...government, the people of this commonwealth have a right to invest their Legislature with power to authorise and require, and the Legislature shall, from time...the several towns, parishes, precincts, and other bodies-politic or religious societies to make suitable provisions, at their own expense, for the institution...

...invest their legislature with the power to authorize and require, and the legislature shall, . . ., authorize and require, the several towns, parishes,...provision, at their own expense, for the institution of public worship of GOD, and for the support and maintenance of public Protestant teachers of piety,...

...order and preservation of their government, the people of this commonwealth have a right to invest their legislature with power to authorize and require,...the several towns, parishes, precincts, and other hodies politic, or religious societies, to make suitahle provision, at their own expense, for the institution...

...order and preservation of their government, the people of this commonwealth have a right to invest their legislature with power to authorize and require,...the several towns, parishes, precincts, and other bodies-politic or religious societies to make suitable provision, at their own expense, for the institution...

...statutes within various state constitutions. Massachusetts'* constitution, ratified in 1789, called for the "support and maintenance of public Protestant teachers of piety, religion, and morality"; this was reaffirmed by the state legislature in 1827." The New Hampshire constitution, framed in 1784,...